Alex Hassell and Bella Maclean in 'Rivals'. Courtesy of Disney+ Rivals season 3 is officially on, Walt Disney‘s streamers Disney+ and Hulu unveiled on Tuesday to the delight of fans of the hit drama. The International Emmy- and BAFTA Award-winning series, starring David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Bella Maclean, Nafessa Williams, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook and Danny Dyer, among others, is based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s iconic Rutshire Chronicles novels.
The show has been greenlit for a third season of 12 episodes ahead of the season 2 return in November with six more episodes.
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The drama, produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, is a Hulu original in the U.S. and a Disney+ original in other parts of the world. “As the dust settles post the scandalous revelations in season 2, we see the stakes become higher and the alliances more fragile, with nothing staying buried for long,” said Disney+ out of the U.K. “New romances blossom, old flames rekindle and shocking secrets will be spilled in this third [season], which takes everyone’s favorite rivalries to the next level. In a world of power, passion and betrayal, everyone has something to lose.”
The first part of the second season of Rivals debuted in May, becoming Disney+’s biggest Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) original premiere in the U.K. and Ireland, based on premiere views after three days.
“The phenomenal response to Rivals is a credit to the bold, irreverent and endlessly entertaining world created by Dame Jilly Cooper, our cast, creative team and production partners at Happy Prince,” said Lee Mason, vp, scripted at Disney+ EMEA. “We’re delighted to be bringing audiences a third season on Disney+/Hulu. Expect more ambition, more romance, more rivalries and, of course, more scandal as we return to Rutshire for another irresistible chapter.”
Series executive producers Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal, Holding, EastEnders), chief creative officer of Happy Prince, and Alexander Lamb (Ackley Bridge, The Bay), creative director of Happy Prince, added: “We’ve been delighted and overwhelmed by the audience’s response to season two of Rivals – testament to the hard work from everyone working on Rivals both on and off screen.”
They added: “Our one sadness is that Jilly didn’t get to witness the love for season two. But she’s still very much with us in spirit and would be so delighted that season three has been greenlit. We’re so thrilled to continue to work with Disney as we dive deeper into the Rutshire Chronicles and expand the Cooperverse even further.”
Season 3 of Rivals will be executive-produced by the duo, Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (The Riot Club) and Felicity Blunt. The Rivals series was commissioned by Mason.
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